It’s been a good fundraising week for Kansas State University.
On the heels of $4 and $5 million pledges from the Kansas Soybean Commission and Kansas Farm Bureau respectively to the College of Agriculture, K-State Salina announced Wednesday its receiving a 10 million dollar gift from California-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems.
The award will support an innovation ramp, encompassing the southernmost portion of the Salina campus, transforming its footprint and revitalizing land that was home to the former Schilling Air Force Base. The $10 million gift is the largest corporate donation to date for a K-State academic program.
Sen. Jerry Moran was among several on hand Wednesday, and helped secure a $4.75 million federal investment for the new Aerospace Simulation Center, bringing the the total investment for the Aerospace and Technology Campus to $14.75 million.
In a statement he called the investment “a testament to the university’s education program and an investment in the future of American aviation.”
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems CEO Linden Blue in a Wednesday statement said he is excited about what the General Atomics Aerospace Ramp will provide to the current challenges facing the industry.
“We have been working with K-State Salina for several years and recognize that now is the time to invest in the Aerospace and Technology campus,” Blue said. “Their campus has a laser-focused vision to be a leader in aerospace and technology, and we are ready to support them in this vision. As General Atomics looks to the future of the aerospace industry, we are proud to have K-State Salina as our educational partner.”
More information on Wednesday’s announcement can be found here.
The university plans to release more details on the overall project in the coming months via salina.k-state.edu.
